Q: Why does Rolf Prima pair the spokes at the rim? A: By pairing spokes at the rim we are able to neutralize the left and right pulling forces, which allows us to build with fewer spokes, making lighter and more aerodynamic wheels.

- Imagine a very flexible rim using 10 evenly spaced spokes. It is easy to see how the rim will not run true because the rim is too flexible to resist the unbalanced left and right pulling forces under the tensioned spokes. With conventional lacing, the rim needs to be stiffer (heavier), more spokes need to be used or the spoke tensions need to be lowered. All have negative consequences.

- Imagine that same rim with 10 paired spokes. The paired spokes balance the left and right forces so the wheel runs true. As spoke counts go down, everyone else has to use heavier rims. Not us.

Q: How do Paired Spokes allow Rolf Prima to build stronger wheels?A: Rolf Prima wheels get their strength, stiffness and stability through the use of high spoke tensions. By pairing the spokes at the rim, we can build each wheel with a higher and more targeted spoke tension than a traditionally laced wheel. Because the left and right side spokes meet at the rim at the same point, the left and right pulling forces from the high tensions are negated allowing the use of higher tension with no lateral trueness issues. These higher tensions increase stiffness and improve spoke durability by decreasing the load-cycle the spoke experiences. As the wheel rotates and each spoke comes in contact with the road surface it goes through a full tension to detension process under the weight of the rider. Higher tensioned spokes will not go from full tension to zero tension - that is easier on the spoke. See Paired Spokes explained

Q: Why is one rear hub flange bigger than the other?A: When you stand on the pedals, the chain pulls on the cogs of the rear wheel. This puts a torque into the rear hub. That torque gets transmitted through the spokes to the rim - that's what makes it turn. Our patented Differential Flange Diameter™ on the rear hub helps spread that torque to the non-drive spokes so it is not absorbed by only the drive side spokes. The larger flange provides a lever arm to provide that mechanical advantage. See Differential Flange Diameter explained

Q: How are hand-built wheels better than machine built wheels?A: Most bicycle wheels sold today are built using machines. For run-of-the-mill wheels this can work, but to build a truly light wheel with uniform tensions, you just can't match the skill of human hands. Every Rolf Prima wheel is carefully hand-built using a painstaking build process that enables our wheels to run true longer - without the need for constant attention or a "break-in period". In effect we build each wheel three times with two stress cycles in the build to seat and stretch all components.

Q: Why does Rolf Prima use internal spoke nipples?A: Internal nipples allow us to make a stronger wheel with higher spoke tensions for better fatigue life and stiffness. External nipples have a flange that is loaded in tension under the pulling forces of the spokes. Internal nipples are loaded in compression. Under higher tensions a nipple in compression lasts longer. As a bonus, aerodynamic performance is also significantly improved since the nipples are located inside the rim creating less wind drag. View our wind tunnel results here

Q: Why does Rolf Prima use J-bend spokes?A: Ahh. The age-old question: Straight pull versus J-bend. The J shape of the spoke where it enters the spoke hole of the hub allows it to rotate slightly in the spoke hole under the torque loads coming from the chain/cogs. This movement helps the spoke absorb this input force more easily - increasing fatigue life. If you look closely at many straight pull hub designs, many try to replicate this feature including one that uses 2 flanges per side (4 per hub) with straight pull spokes threaded into brass barrels joining the flanges to allow rotation. In effect, a heavy way to replicate the benefits of a J-bend spoke. We cut to the chase and use the best spoke shape around - J bend.

Q: Does Rolf Prima recommend a maximum tire inflation pressure? A: Yes, for aluminum clincher rims, do not inflate tires above the inflation pressure indicated on the tire sidewall or 120 psi whichever is lower. For Carbon tubular wheels, inflate tires to the maximum inflation pressure indicated on the tire sidewall, or at least a minimum of 120 psi. For carbon clincher wheels do not exceed 120psi or the maximum pressure listed on the tires sidewall, whichever is lower. For mountain bike wheels, do not inflate tires above the maximum inflation pressure of 40psi when used as tubeless.

Q: Are Rolf Prima wheels approved by the UCI?A: This is an area of much confusion and it affects a small portion of riders. Unless you are racing mass start UCI road, UCI Cyclocross races or draft legal ITU triathlons, this does not really apply to you. The UCI/ITU approval rules only apply to those events. For many road races, cross races, the vast majority of triathlons (Ironman, IM70.3, almost all local tri’s etc) and time trials the requirements do not apply.

The UCI labels some wheels as “non-standard” and these need to be tested and approved. Below are the criteria for a “non-standard” wheel according to the UCI and ITU. If a wheel meets any of these criteria, it is “non-standard”.

Q: Do Rolf Prima wheels have max rider weights?A. Yes and No. Every wheel from every manufacturer has limits but it is more than just weight. It also involves riding style and road conditions in your area. Some wheels are built for ultra-lightweight as #1 and some are built to be a bit stiffer. If you're a heavier rider or you tend to stand and throw the bike around, you should probably look for a wheel with increased stiffness. For that reason you may not want to go with our lightest wheel options like the TdF4SL or Èlan. We might steer you towards wheels that we build with more spokes, stouter rims and/or more spoke tension such as the Vigor RS, Echelon, 58RSC or TdF6. View our "Wheel Advisor" for more help or contact us to find out which wheel best fits your riding needs.

Q: Are ceramic bearings offered in Rolf Prima wheels?A: Yes, you can order your Rolf Prima wheels with ceramic bearings or upgrade your current Rolf Prima wheels with ceramic bearings at any time. Read more about bearing upgrades on our Factory Service page.

Q: Are there tire size recommendations?A: Rolf Prima road wheels can be used with tire widths ranging from 20C - 28C. Wider tires may be able to be used safely but they are not recommended. Cyclocross models can be used with tires up to 34mm wide. Ralos mountain bike wheels will perform best with tires between 1.9 and 2.25” wide.

Q: What length presta valve should I use?A: Our lower profile wheels: Elan, Aspin and Apex SL can use a 35mm or longer valve. Our deep alloy rims like the Vigor, Echelon, VCX, ECX, Tandem and P-Town will work with a 48mm or longer. Our deep section carbon wheels come with valve extenders for inflating, however by using a 60mm valve, the TdF4SL can be used without a valve extender.

A. Wheels are not indestructible and they will not last forever. We engineer and test extensively to give you the longest wheel life we can, but every part of a wheel has a limited useful life due to wear, stress, and fatigue. Fatigue is when a force is repeated over a large number of cycles and it can eventually cause a material to crack or break. Wear can occur from extensive use – such as brake pads wearing on the rim brake walls. You, the rider, play a role in the longevity of the wheels. If you are heavier, ride hard or aggressively then you may need to replace the wheel and/or its parts more frequently than riders who are lighter, ride gently or carefully. Several factors can change the condition of your wheels: rider weight, speed, skill, terrain, maintenance and more. Because there are many variables, it is not possible to give an accurate timetable for replacement. To be safe, inspect your wheels frequently and replace the wheel or parts more frequently. If you are not sure, speak to your dealer. If you crash or hit large obstacles, inspect your wheels carefully and have them inspected by your dealer. As a rule of thumb, light-weight, high-performance wheels and other parts require more care and more frequent inspections even though they are tested extensively. With wheels, remember that a rim wears as you use your brakes, so the rim must be replaced occasionally.

Q: Is my wheel Campagnolo 8, 9, 10 & 11 speed compatible? Rolf Prima wheels configured with a Campagnolo® freehub body will fit 9, 10 and 11 speed Campagnolo® ED compatible cassettes if they are 2009 or newer. Older than 2009, will still be 9 and 10 speed compatible. Some 2004–2008 wheels can be retrofitted to work with 11-speed Campagnolo, here is a breakdown that should help you determine what you need to do to make it work with 11 speed Campagnolo. click here. Rolf Prima wheels configured with a Campagnolo® freehub body will not fit 8 speed Campagnolo® ED compatible cassettes.

Q: Is my wheel Shimano 9, 10 & 11 speed compatible? Rolf Prima wheels configured with a Shimano® freehub body that are 2013 or newer are 9, 10 and 11-speed compatible, older than 2013; these wheels are going to be 9 and 10 speed compatible. Some 2004–2012 wheels can be retrofitted to work with 11-speed Shimano®, here is a breakdown that should help you determine if your wheel is or can be 11-speed Shimano® compatible. click here.

Q: Are Rolf Prima wheels compatible with Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM? A: Yes. Shimano and SRAM systems use the same freehub body shape. Campagnolo however is different. Rolf Prima makes wheels that are compatible with either Campagnolo or Shimano/ SRAM drive systems. You will need to specify which system you need when buying your wheels. Don't worry though, if you change systems later, existing wheels can be converted to either system. For more information, click here for conversion instructions.

Q: Should I do anything special in setting up my brakes?A: Yes. For all Rolf Prima wheels we recommend Rolf Prima branded brake pads. These are available from your local Rolf Prima dealer or on the Rolf Prima store. Also see this for details on setting up your brakes. It is important to “toe-in” the pads in set up.

Q: Does Rolf Prima recommend certain brake pads?A: Yes. There are differences in feel between carbon and alloy braking surfaces. Some of the pads that come standard on bikes are fairly soft. These can be very “grabby” on alloy or carbon brake surfaces and may even cause a stutter feeling. For alloy brake surfaces, we recommend Rolf Prima Brake pads. These are a moderate pad for all conditions that provide good braking performance on our alloy and carbon wheels. Brake Setup Instructions

Wheel Model

Brake Pad color

58RSC & All alloy models

Red

TdF4SL, TdF6, TdF6SL, TdF8

Red

Eos3, Ares4, Ares6

Yellow

Ares3, Ares8

Blue

Q. Do Vigor Alpha Stealth and Elan Alpha Stealth models require specific brake pads?A. Yes and no. They will work best with our Rolf Prima red brake pads. These are a nice soft pad that will provide good braking and minimize wear on the braking surface. You can use other pads and they are safe. They may accelerate wear showing on the braking surface. This is not a problem - it is just cosmetic.

Q. Will the brake tracks on Vigor Alpha Stealth and Elan Alpha Stealth eventually show wear??A. Yes. While our Stealth Ballistic coating is tough and designed for use on fire arms, under braking over time the coating will show wear. It will eventually appear silver like a regular brake track. This is normal and safe and is only cosmetic. The coating will last best when used in dry conditions. Riding in the rain or having grit or sand in your brake pads will accelerate the show of wear.

Q: What is Specialized’s SCS and are your disc wheels compatible with Specialized SCS? A.Yes, we are compatible with SCS, but you need to decide which direction you will take your SCS frame. Specialized’s claim is that the SCS configuration offers better chain line for quieter drivetrain and better shifting by keeping 130mm chain line on 135mm disc wheels. Specialized SCS in a Specialized-only spacing and SCS requires specially configured wheels unless you get the Specialized standard derailleur hanger. An SCS bike with SCS derailleur hanger can only use SCS disc wheels. An SCS bike with a standard Specialized derailleur hanger can use almost any 135mm disc wheel.

Option #1 (our recommended option): Get the standard derailleur hanger from Specialized. This changes an SCS bike to a “normal” bike so you can use any standard 135mm disc wheel without having to jump through hoops. This gives you a lot of flexibility in wheel selection down the road.

Option #2: Use your wheels configured for SCS. If you want to go this route, let us know when you order the wheels and we will build for SCS configuration. If you are converting an existing Rolf Prima wheel using our XST hub platform, you will need to add two spacers on the drive side between the FH body bearing and the drive side endcap. Ideally you would then re-dish the wheel. See pictures

A: There are a lot of options for “standards” now with disc brakes. Since we hand build all wheels in Eugene, Oregon we can build your wheels to order. Click here for a chart of which wheels are available in which configurations.

A: For 2017 we switched the majority of our wheels to be Center Lock compatible. For 2016 and earlier, our disc brake wheels were 6 bolt compatible. In a way, it does not matter. If you bike came with 6 bolt but you would like to use one of our Center Lock wheel models, it is very easy. You just need to replace the rotors. The rest of the bike and braking set up will work fine.

A: Any carbon rim can be damaged by incorrect braking technique. Please read the Owner's Manual because it contains a lot of important Safety Information. In addition, here are a few other things to note about braking on carbon rims.

A. Road wheels: All of our 2017 alloy road wheels are tubeless compatible and can be converted with a kit. Some of our carbon are also tubeless compatible such as Eos, Ares3, Ares3 Disc and Ares3 ES. However some models are not designed for tubeless such as the Ares6 and Ares4. Many earlier models can also be taped and run tubeless, here is a table of what is tubeless.

Q: Why can't Rolf Prima service older, Trek-built, "Rolf Wheels" branded wheels?A: Rolf Prima wheels are manufactured with different components and specification than the old "Rolf Wheels" branded wheels manufactured under license by Trek Bicycle Corporation. Rolf Prima is a separate entity and has no affiliation with Trek. Trek is servicing all warranties related to the "Rolf Wheels" brand manufactured through December 31, 2001. For more information on servicing "Rolf Wheels" branded products click here.

Q: What can I do if I crash and my wheels get damaged?A: We can often rebuild any crashed wheel, by using your existing hub and rebuilding it with a new rim, spokes and nipples. It is more cost effective to rebuild a wheel, than to replace it and with our timely turn around policy you are not without your wheel for long. Read more about our factory service options here.

Q: Where can I get replacement parts for my Rolf Prima wheel?A: Any professional bicycle shop can order replacement parts to service Rolf Prima wheels. If you don't have a shop near you, check our online store for replacement parts or contact us directly.

Q: If my wheel comes out of true, what should I do?A: Rolf Prima wheels with internal nipples are not any harder to true than a traditionally laced wheel. Actually they are easier because of the paired spokes. You will need to remove the tire and rim strip to true them and that is part of the reason we put so much time into our build process. Our build process eliminates the normal "break-in" period most wheels have. You won't be constantly truing them - in fact we hear from many customers that they have never had to true them.

Q: If I break a spoke, does it have to be replaced with the exact same type of spoke?A: We do suggest replacing a broken spoke with a Rolf Prima spec'd spoke, however in a pinch or emergency, a standard J-bend spoke of the right length can be used.

Q: My wheel is making a noiseA: This is complicated since there are many parts on a bike. The first, and most important, thing to do is to isolate the noise. Try changing wheels on the bike; if the noise is still there with a different set of wheels, the noise is not coming from the wheels (change only one wheel at a time so you know if it was front or rear). Try the wheels on another bike- is the same noise there? Once you have determined the noise is coming from the wheel and you have determined which one (front or rear) here are some common items to check. Note that below is a list of the top contenders. It could be something else.

- One of the most common causes of noise coming from a wheel is a rattling valve stem. Sounds crazy, but it is. If the valve stem is unthreaded, try placing a small piece of tape around the valve stem where it enters the rim. This will dampen the noise. If you have a threaded valve stem; thread the small nut that came with your tube onto the valve after the tube is installed. Tighten lightly.

- Not the valve stem? It could be worn bearings. Remove the wheels from the bike and spin the axle in your fingers. Is it rough or noisy? If so, it is time for a bearing replacement. Contact your local bike shop or view options on our Factory Service page.

- If you determine it is the rear wheel and it is making a creaking noise, it may be a dry axle. Follow the instructions in the Service Manual for disassembling the hub. Apply oil and reassemble.

Q: What size spoke wrench do I need for Rolf Prima wheels?A: For internal nipple Rolf Prima wheels use a 3/16 spoke wrench for truing. For external nipple Rolf Prima wheels you can use a standard spoke wrench or a square driver. Specific spoke wrenches for Rolf Prima wheels can be purchased from the Rolf Prima store

Q: Do my Rolf Prima wheels have to come back to the factory for all service needs?A: No, the only service we require that is performed at the factory is a full wheel rebuild. Any routine service can be performed at your local shop.

Q: Where is the serial number for my wheel located?A: Wheel models older than 2017 - serial numbers are located under the rim strip on many Rolf Prima models, near the valve hole - see here. Carbon and alloy tubular rims and mountain bike wheel models have their serial numbers located on the rim near the "American Flag" decal.

2017 and new model years have the serial number located near the valve hold on the spoke bed of the rim.

Q: How do you clean Ballistic Armor coated hubs and rims?A: The best option is 99% Isopropyl alcohol. For some things that isn't strong enough in which case, acetone should work. If you need to bring out the big guns, automotive brake cleaner (found in the automotive sections of many stores) will do the trick. Be careful not to rub on the decal logo as these may remove it.

Q: Can ceramic bearings be serviced?A: Yes. Most of the time when someone thinks a ceramic bearing is “bad”, it really just needs a little TLC. See this video from our friends at Enduro on servicing ceramic bearings. You can also buy the grease syringe for re-greasing HERE